HAVING A BAD BEAR DAY
[the fourth of The Scorpion Chronicles]
by Nat Faul <pruesdoux@charmedmail.com>
DISCLAIMER: This is not posted for any profit but to share creative ideas with other Charmed fans on this and other websites. The characters of Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell, and Leo Wyatt, are property of Warner Brothers Television. The names Dunwich and Necronomicon are creations of HP Lovecraft (1890-1937) and now the property of Arkham House. The name Stregoicavar was created by Robert Howard (1906-1936) and now the property of Popular Fiction Publishing Company. Other characters and names were created by this author. Any similarities to real persons living or dead is purely coincidental. The following account is strictly fiction. Its sole purpose is to entertain.
RATED: G -- Safe for the whole family.
"Remind me," Prue murmured to Piper. "How did she talk us into this?"
"You don’t remember either?"
"Not in any logical sense, no."
They lagged a distance behind Phoebe, who was already at the front door. She turned and frowned at their reluctance. The door was open and people were coming and going with boxes and tools. The new home for the American Psychic Society resembled an ant colony. The house is large with three stories. The towers at each corner and the gabled windows lining the roof gives it a Gothic military look. Inside, things were taking shape. There was new carpeting, furniture, wallpaper, decorations, and clean windows. It was looking more like a home than the abandoned haunted house it use to be.
Prue and Piper finally got through the front door. Phoebe was already talking to Irene. She was in her usual white shirt and blue jeans, with her silver hair tied back by a red scarf. Most of the time she looks like a household grandmother rather than a high-ranking wicca of a local coven.
"No, but he will be in today," she was heard telling Phoebe. "He’s in charge of the exhibits in our museum."
"Do you know when he’ll be in?"
"He said he might join us for lunch. Will you be staying for lunch? Our kitchen is fully operational and a few members volunteered to do some cooking."
"Oh good! I think I will."
When Irene saw Prue and Piper standing by the door, she greeted them heartily. "I’m so glad to see all three of you here! Will you also be joining the Society?"
Prue politely smiled. "Well, ... we’re still deciding."
"We’re just looking around for now," Piper added. "And volunteering a little time."
"Wonderful!" said Irene. "Tomorrow’s opening day and there’s so much to do."
Phoebe asked, "Who’s in charge of assigning duties today?"
"That would be Jason. He’s out back in the garden."
Phoebe asked her sisters, "Would you mind waiting here while I talk to Jason?"
She went out back as Prue and Piper moved to a couch, to get out of everyone’s way, and sat down.
"Can I get you anything?" Irene offered. "Would you like some coffee?"
"No, thank you," Prue declined. "We’re fine."
Piper added, "We just had breakfast."
"You mentioned something about a museum," Prue ventured. "You have a museum here?"
"Yes, we have one taking shape. It will display photographs of psychics and psychic phenomenon taking place, some old books on the occult, and few occult objects; such as talismans, voodoo dolls, and pieces of ritual costumes from around the world. It’s mostly to educate visitors but members will find it just as impressive."
"Interesting. Why is Derek in charge?"
"He’s an archeologist."
"For real?!"
"Yes. He has a degree in archeology from the University of Chicago. That’s how he learned to be a treasure hunter."
"Hmmmm! I didn’t know that. So, he’s university educated."
Pheobe returned. "All right. I got our assignments. Prue, you’ll be working out back, in the garden. They’re putting in roses."
"Great! I’d love to do some gardening!"
"Piper, you’ll be doing some sorting work for the museum. Jason will give you the specifics."
"We were just talking about the museum. I’d like to see that."
Phoebe led her sisters to the back porch. When they were sure they were out of earshot of everyone else, she outlined their plan. "We’ll meet back at the kitchen when everyone’s coming in for lunch. When Derek gets in, I’ll make some excuse to get him alone somewhere. You follow. When were alone, Piper, you freeze him, then I’ll do the warlock test on him."
"Then we can go home?"
"No! We have to find out what his plans are; why he’s here and what he has in mind for this area."
"Then we vanquish him and then we can go home."
"Well, ... not ... necessarily. First we find out.... Wait! Here comes Jason. Look! Just take it as it comes."
Jason came up the back porch, looking like Bill Gates with his messy hair, thick glasses, and clipboard. Phoebe introduced Prue and Piper to him.
"Great! We’re glad to you’re here!" he commended. "We really need the help. Prue, you report to Doris, over there; the blonde in the red shirt. Piper, I’ll show you what you job is and where."
As they were about to go their separate ways, Prue turned to Phoebe. "Wait a minute! What’s your job?"
"I’ll be ... working on the third floor."
"Doing what?" Piper pried.
Pheobe answered reluctantly, "Moving furniture."
Prue patted her on the back. "Well, they made the right choice, Bruno."
Piper giggled. Phoebe just gave a wry smile and left.
It’s a large room, adjacent to the right forward tower. No door separates it from the tower room, which is surrounded by many windows. So a lot of natural light gets in. Boxes and trunks were pushed back against the wall, neatly lined up. Jason led Piper in.
"Your job is simple," he explained. "Just separate all items into five categories: Photographs, books, personal writings (like letters and diaries), newspaper clippings, and everything else. I’ll leave you a list to guide you."
Piper got into it and even became fascinated with many of the articles she examined. She even took out a notebook and pen from her purse to write down reference notes, so she could look up interesting items later. She had accomplished so much in a few hours and it didn’t seem like such a long time to her.
At one point, she got to a steamer trunk. She had difficulties opening it. Much of the lock and hinges were rusted. But open it she did. Scrapbooks and photo albums were yellowing. A must of ages hung around everything. She pulled out a brown and yellow Teddy bear, a red-white-and-blue striped rubber ball, and a few other children’s toys. Then she lifted a stack of photo albums and carried them to the fold-out table in the middle of the room.
She found it riveting looking into other people’s lives, long before she was even born. But as she poured over the pictures, she was struck by a feeling of being watched. She looked up and was startled to find the Teddy bear on the table, sitting to one side of her. Didn’t I leave that by the trunk? Oh well. Maybe just forgot.
She continued going over the photographs but found it uncomfortable being stared at; even if it were an inanimate object. So she turned it around to make it face away from her. But in a few minutes, she had that feeling again. She looked up to find the bear facing her once more. She jumped to her feet. Now this time I remember turning it around!
She cautiously made her way to the door, keeping her eye on the Teddy bear. She reached for the door knob when the door flew open. Piper nearly screamed. Phoebe stepped in.
"What’s the matter? Did I scare you?"
"Yes, you did!"
"Sorry! I just came to tell you we don’t have to do the warlock test."
"Why not?"
"Derek got in a little while ago. He started helping move some boards when a huge splinter speared him in the hand."
"Ouch!"
"He bled. And since warlocks don’t bleed, we know he isn’t a warlock."
"Good! Now can we go home?"
"Well, he could be a witch. We should test him for that."
"You test him for it. I’m going home."
"Don’t you want to finish what you started?"
"No way!"
"What’s the matter with you?"
"Look! The only reason I came here was that you talked me into helping you do a warlock test! Now that we don’t have to do it, I don’t have to be here! I have more important things to do!"
She turned back to the table but saw only the pile of photo albums, she had put there. The Teddy bear was gone. Piper looked around wondering where it was at that moment.
"What’s wrong?" Phoebe asked. "What are you looking for?"
"Um .... Just looking for my purse."
She snatched up her purse and jacket and rushed out the door. Out in the hallway, she had another shock and again nearly screamed. In a chair, out in the hall, by a side table, sat the Teddy bear. Piper bolted down the hall, almost running.
Phoebe was puzzled by her behaviour, but soon thought of something and went after her. "Wait, Piper! Wait!" She went running out of the house after her. "Piper, don’t take the car! We need it!"
But too late. Piper had already driven off and was soon spinning around a corner, with all tires screeching, and then out of sight. Phoebe told all this to Prue. Her first reaction was, "What?! How are we getting home?!"
"I’m sure someone else can give us a ride home."
"What’s the matter with her? Why is she behaving like this?"
"When I told her we don’t have to do the warlock test, she acted angry that she wasted her time here. But I sense something more than that. She seemed worried about something; even frightened. She acted real jumpy."
"Well, this still is a haunted house. Amelia wasn’t the only spirit to roam these halls."
"But Piper is use to ghosts by now. And she would have told me if one was bothering her."
Piper drove up the driveway of Halliwell Manor. She dragged herself up to the front door. It wasn’t even noon yet and she already felt used-up for the day. She lumbered through the livingroom and found, sitting on the sofa, the Teddy bear. This time she did scream. She thrust out a finger at the bear and yelled, "Stop following me!" Then she ran upstairs to her room.
In the banquet hall of the APS, members milled around with plates among many trough of food, laid out on the long tables. Phoebe worked her way through the crowd, asking "Have you seen Derek? .... Have you seen Derek? .... Have you seen Derek? ...."
She made her way through the kitchen, then the main room (the largest of the three livingrooms). There she caught sight of him in an intense conversation with a small group. You couldn’t miss him, all dressed in khakis, with his Australian hat, a vest with many pockets, the canvas shoulderbag, and his cowboy boots. She boldly moved in on him.
"Aha! There you are!" This caught everyone’s attention. "I heard you were injured. Let me see." She began unwrapping the gauze around his hand. Everyone present was amazed at her pluck. "What have you done for this wound so far?"
Although surprized by all this, he managed to answer steadily. "I washed it in soap and hot water, then wrapped it in a clean gauze."
Phoebe examined it closely. "That’s good. But this is a puncture wound. That splinter could have driven bacteria deeply beyond what the soap and water could reach. I do volunteer work at hospitals, so I know these things. Now, I have this antiseptic that can reach deep inside the wound and prevent any infection."
She pulled out a vial of a lavender fluid and poured out half of it onto Derek’s opened hand. "Now rub it in. Work it in there as deeply as possible."
Derek complied and massaged the liquid into his wound. Phoebe watched carefully. Then she unwrapped a clean gauze and re-bandaged his hand. When finished, she patted him on the back. "You’re very important to all of us here. So take good care of yourself."
"Uh .... Yeah .... I will .... Thanks."
All eyes were on her as she walked away. When out of the room, those in the group buzzed among themselves. Someone asked aloud, "Who is that?"
Derek said, with somewhat an air of admiration, "That ... is our star psychic."
Down a hallway, away from the rest of the crowd, Prue asked "What was that suppose to do?"
Phoebe opened the vial and poured a few drops on her own bare arm. In a few seconds, the liquid began evaporating, arising as a mist from her skin. The mist shimmered in many dazzling colors before dissipating.
Prue asked "So if he were a witch, and this happened in front of all those people, how would you have explained it to them?"
Phoebe philosophized "One bridge at a time."
Piper furiously paced around in her room. This is ridiculous! I’m trapped in my own room by a ... a Teddy bear! She went to the door and grabbed the knob. I’m a witch and damn good one! I’m not letting a Teddy bear scare me! Then she stopped and leaned her head on the door. Yes, I am. Then she raised her head and threw the door wide open. No, I’m not!
She came stomping down the stairs. But the Teddy bear wasn’t on the sofa. She looked around in the livingroom then the diningroom. There was no sign of it. Was I hallucinating?
Next, she cautiously peered into the kitchen. Then she noticed a hand on her shoulder. She screamed loudly, jumped into the kitchen, and whirled around. There stood Leo with a confused look on his face.
"What the hell are you doing?" Piper bellowed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"I - I - I’m sorry. I - I didn’t mean to scare you. Is something wrong?"
"I just don’t like being scared!"
"Sorry! I didn’t mean it. I just came by to ask if you have time to...."
"I’m busy!"
"I thought we could have a few minutes to slip away together."
"I did! But Phoebe talked me into going on a wild goose chase at the American Psychic Society! A whole morning wasted! All I have time for is a quick lunch and rush to the club!"
She opened the refrigerator and screamed. There on the top shelf, between the orange juice and the leftover potato salad, sat the Teddy bear. She slammed the door shut and backed away.
"What is it?" asked Leo. "Piper? .... What happened?"
Seeing that she wouldn’t answer, he opened the refrigerator door to see for himself. But he found nothing out of the ordinary that one would find in a refrigerator. He stood aside to let Piper see. The Teddy bear was gone. Right there Piper lost it. She buried her face in Leo’s chest and burst into tears. Leo couldn’t understand why. All he knew is that she was suffering and held her tight.
Later, that afternoon, Prue and Phoebe got home. As they came through the front door, Phoebe was saying "I told you someone could give us a ride."
"Well, I guess membership does have its benefits."
"Now I have to come up with new tests."
"You’ve used up all the tests and still came up negative. What more do you want?"
"But he’s just not normal. He’s got some powers."
"Not normal. I agree. But powers? I think that’s just your imagination. In fact, I think it’s just wishful thinking on your part."
"Wishful thinking? How?"
"Since you had that premonition of marrying him, you’re hoping he’s a witch."
"That has nothing to do with it! I’d never refuse to marry anyone just because he wasn’t a witch!"
"No, but you’d feel better having someone who you can share our vanquishing activities with."
"I tell you, that has nothing to do with my suspicions.... Oh! Hi, Leo!"
They noticed Leo sitting in the livingroom looking very worried. "What happened to Piper at that house this morning?"
"We’re still trying to figure that one out ourselves," Prue explained. "Why?"
"She’s been cranky, nervous, jumpy...."
"Jumpy!" Phoebe interjected. "She was scared of something. She kept looking around for something ... or someone. But she wouldn’t tell me what or who."
"She was doing a lot of yelling and crying...."
"Crying?" asked Prue. "This is serious! Where is she now?"
"At the club."
"The club? It’s too early to start anything there now!"
"I think she just went to get away from me."
"Well, we’re going over there right now and get to the bottom of this!"
"No! Wait! Confrontation will only drive her deeper into denial."
"We’ve got to do something!"
At the P3, Piper and a few of her workers prepared the club for opening that evening. She went around to the bar to check the glasses on the shelves. She suddenly jumped and clasped a hand to her mouth, to keep from screaming. There, on one of the shelves sat the Teddy bear. She quickly left the bar, stifling her panic among her workers. She pretended to busy herself with something else.
When she saw a worker go behind the bar, she called to him, "Elliot, while you’re back there, get rid of that Teddy bear!"
He looked around for awhile, then asked "What Teddy bear?"
She went to the bar, leaned over it, and looked down to where she last saw it. It wasn’t there. I should have known. "Oh!.... Sorry!.... I must have seen a distorted reflection in the glasses ... or something." Elliot walked away with a baffled look.
The night was going to be hell. She’d be afraid to go down to the basement by herself. She’d be afraid even to go to the ladies’ room by herself. Anywhere, where she’d be alone, it would be waiting for her. And now, Prue had entered the club. Again, Piper stifled her panic but knew it would be impossible to hide anything from her sister.
"Piper, can we talk for a minute?"
"Later. I’ve got too much to do."
"You don’t open for another seven hours! You have plenty of time!"
"But I’m low on a lot of supplies and ... and ...."
Prue threw her arms around Piper and held her tight. "Stop! Stop this right now!"
Piper went limp in her embrace and leaned her head on her shoulder.
"Now," Prue gently continued. "Tell me ... what’s bothering you?"
"I can’t! I just can’t!"
"Why not?"
"It’s so silly. You’d laugh."
Prue was appalled. "Piper! You’re suffering! You’re hurt! You think I find that funny?"
But the situation seemed so silly to Piper, she felt that everyone else would find it laughable. So overwhelming was her fear of ridicule, she could not even get the words "Teddy bear" out of her mouth. Maybe this toy had a spell over her. Maybe something unresolved in her past was setting up a block. Either way, she was disabled from asking for help.
"Let me handle this myself."
"You think you can? You’re not doing very well so far."
"I think I can."
"Well, don’t let this run on for long. If it gets unbearable, come to us. Even if you can’t tell us what it is, at least tell us what we can do to help."
(Piper grimaced at the word un-bear-able.) "I promise."
Piper spent that evening, at work, delegating her tasks to her workers, leaving herself to work out in the open around people. The Teddy bear never showed.
But sleep didn’t come easy for her that night. She kept rolling around in bed, trying to get comfortable. Then she got that feeling that someone was staring at her. She turned her attention to the center of the room. There, the Teddy bear, at a gargantuan size, took up half the room. Its arms and legs, spread out, touched opposing walls. Its head was bent under the ceiling and looking down on her. Its eyes glowed in the dark. Piper felt paralyzed; held by its stare. Its mouth opened, exposing rows of long sharp teeth.
Piper shot up in bed screaming. She was panting, sweating, and shivering. She looked around the room and found everything as usual. It was just a dream. Then she caught sight of something at the foot of her bed. There sat the Teddy bear, again staring at her with those eyes. She dove back under the covers and began screaming hysterically.
Prue burst in and turned on the light. "Piper! Piper!" She pulled off the covers and was alarmed to find her in such a state. "What is it? You’ve got to tell me now!"
Then Phoebe came rushing in. "What happened? Is she all right?"
Piper looked to the foot of her bed. The Teddy bear was gone. Again she felt embarrassed. "It was just a bad dream."
"It was not just a bad dream!" Prue countered. "It’s that problem you refuse to talk about!"
"I’m tired! I don’t want to talk about it!" She rolled over, facing away from them.
Prue sighed with frustration. She told Phoebe "Go back to bed. I’ll handle this from here." Then she pulled back the covers, got into Piper’s bed, and wrapped her arms around her. "I’m not letting you go until I get some answers. We’ll talk in the morning."
Piper was too tired to argue. Phoebe turned out the light and left. Feeling at ease, now that someone was with her, Piper soon fell into a deep sleep.
In the morning, Prue awoke and oriented herself. She soon realized the space next to her was empty. She got out of bed and went to Piper’s dressing chair. The clothes she had laid out for the day were gone.
"Damn!"
Out in the hall, she headed for her own room and ran into Phoebe coming out. "I just turned off your alarm. It went off."
"Thanks."
"How’s Piper?"
"She went over the wall."
"What?! She left?!"
"Gone! Her clothes for the day -- gone!"
"And you slept through it?"
"She can be very cleaver when she wants to be."
"I hope she’s cleaver enough with this problem of hers."
"So do I."
In the early morning drizzle, Piper drove around aimlessly in the near empty streets. She had no idea where to go, but didn’t want another grilling session from her sisters. She thought of a quiet little place, where she could just sit with a cup of coffee for most of the day. She slowly drove by, looking into the windows, to see if it was open this early. A few people moved around inside, but on a table by a window sat the Teddy bear. Piper stomped on the gas pedal and sped away.
She couldn’t go through another day like this. It knew where she’d be next and get there before her. There was nowhere she could hide from it. She decided to go back and face it head on. She turned the car towards San Bernardino Drive.
While waiting at a stop light, Leo orbed into the passenger seat. Like Prue, he clamped his arms tightly around her, saying "I’m not letting go until you let me help you with your problem."
Piper smiled at his determined concern. "I’m on my way to handle it right now. If you want to come with me, that’s fine. But I can handle it myself and I will."
"Okay."
Leo kissed her. They sat for awhile kissing each other, until jolted by the blare of a car horn behind them. They had forgotten they were at a stop light and the light had just changed.
At the APS, they walked up the east hall to the museum. People were still coming and going, as if the work never stopped for the night. Piper still wasn’t sure what she was going to do. Walking in, she saw the change. Display cases of every shape and size filled the rooms. Many frames, holding photographs and newspaper clippings, filled the walls. A few boxes and objects cluttered some spaces; including the Teddy bear, on top of a box. Among the cases, Derek was toiling diligently.
"Morning, Piper! Surprized to see you here so early!"
"Oh! Good morning. I just came in to apologize for leaving so much unfinished yesterday."
"Oh no no no no no! I quite understand! I told you I’m also a nightclub owner. So I can appreciate all you need to do each day to get the club ready for the evening."
"Yeah, but .... Well ... yeah."
"Any amount of time you can spare is helpful. In fact, you got a lot of work done and it was a big help to me."
"Really?! Well, good! Glad I could help. Oh! This is my friend Leo. Leo, this is Derek."
"Howdy, Leo! Welcome to the APS."
"Thanks. Pleased to meet you. The place is looking pretty sharp."
"You ain’t seen nuthin yet. Wait till the opening party this afternoon. You coming?"
"Wouldn’t miss it. .... What part of the South are you from?"
"Not from the South. The Midwest. Southern Illinois."
"Oh! Your accent sounded Southern to me."
"Common mistake."
"I was just curious about something," Piper went on. "Do you know where these toys come from? For example ... that Teddy bear."
"All these items are donated or on loan by different members."
"But what significance does a Teddy bear have in a psychic museum?"
"That particular one is possessed. Several of our psychics have picked up living vibrations from the little feller. And from what I hear, it was owned by two little girls, both unrelated; each didn’t know the other. And yet, both gave identical accounts of the bear following them around. Of course, the parents just wrote it off as childhood imagination. Did you notice anything when working here yesterday?"
"Yeah. I ... noticed it ... in a different place each time I turned my back."
"Not surprized. You’re the first girl it’s seen in 57 years. It’s been locked away since World War II. Did it bother you?"
"Well, ... I did find a bit ... unsettling."
"I’ll take care of that this morning. The little guy’ll go into one of these glass boxes and that’ll put an end to his wanderings."
Piper felt a twinge of guilt. "Do you have to? It didn’t really do any harm. Life in prison seems a bit too ... harsh."
"Noble sentiments on your part. I guess he’ll do well in the child care center."
"Child care? This place comes with child care as well?"
"Yep. We’re constantly thinking up more and more services for our members. With a 24-hour child care operation, the little guy’ll have plenty of friends to keep him from wandering far."
"How soon will that be operational?"
"This afternoon. Many parents, coming to the opening, will want to drop their little uns off someplace, while they party down."
Piper felt greatly relieved. It’s finally over.
Derek asked "Did you have breakfast yet?"
"Uh ... No. .... We haven’t."
"The kitchen staff is making a big breakfast for all the workers. You’re both welcome to all you want."
"Thanks. We did notice something smelling good when passing the kitchen."
Walking down the hall, Leo asked, "So ... what was this problem you couldn’t talk about?"
"Leo, what if I told you I was being haunted by a Teddy bear?"
"I’d protect you. I’d investigate it. I’d work with you and your sisters to help solve the problem."
"And make a lot of Teddy bear jokes at my expense while you’re at it."
"I wouldn’t!"
"Yeah yeah."
"I wouldn’t! Honestly! I wouldn’t!"
Piper just kept smiling and nodding her head.
They joined many others in the banquet hall, at long tables, with large platters of bacon, pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and buttered toast, with many kinds of jams, and many pots of great smelling coffee. That morning, Piper felt she had the best breakfast ever.
Later that afternoon, Phoebe was once again leading her sisters up to the house. This time, they did so eagerly and with Leo accompanying them. Other people were streaming in. Vincent stood in the reception hall, greeting all arrivals.
"Phoebe! Glad you could make it! Prue. Piper. Welcome! Pleased to have you here. And you are....?"
"Leo. A friend of the family."
"Welcome, Leo. I’m Vincent. Hope you enjoy your visit."
"Thank you."
Prue took out her digital camera and began taking photographs. Soon her attention was caught by a Medusa’s head over the doorway to the main room. It appeared to be made from a white stone. The eyes and mouth were opened wide in rage. The snakes on the head were spread out evenly, with each snake head facing forward.
She asked Vincent "Where did that come from?"
"That’s Derek’s. You’ll notice the eyes light up whenever a psychic walks under it."
She noticed as people passed through the doorway, for some the eyes of the Medusa would blink a greenish light.
"How does it do that?"
"Magic!" Vincent said with a humorous lilt.
"Where did Derek get it?"
"He says he found it in Babylon. I think he’s just joking but that’s the only answer he’ll give."
Prue watched as Phoebe went into the main room and the Medusa’s eyes blinked. Then Piper and Leo went in. The eyes blinked twice. Prue balked at entering. The others looked back, waiting for her until she felt embarressed. She went through quickly then looked back to see if anyone noticed the eyes blinking. All she could see were people busy greeting one another.
Piper eagerly led them to the museum. When they stepped in, they were in awe of the sight. All glass cases were filled and neatly arranged throughout the rooms. The walls were covered with frames, holding photographs, newspaper clippings, and old handwritten letters.
They were greeted by Gail, who was wearing a badge labeled "GUIDE". (Gail is closer to Piper and Phoebe in age. She usually dresses conservatively, looking like a businesswoman or schoolteacher. Her chubby face is framed by light brown hair, which hangs down long and straight. In their coven, she is Irene’s attendant.) She led them among the exhibits, pointing out the ones she felt would interest them most.
In the tower room, there were cases set in a circle, to fit the room’s shape. Only one occupied the center. Inside the glass case sat a large tome of antiquity. The cover was filled with a caricature of a man’s face, in Medieval European style, with the mouth and eyes wide open. It appeared to be a mask for an ancient Greek drama. This caught the sisters’ attention.
Piper asked Gail, "What is this?"
"This is one of the three Griam More Books. The other two are in India and Nigeria. The previous owner said that they were discovered in northern Scottland, thus the name. But the actual location of their origin is unknown. It is said to contain secrets of magic and other worlds, which can be fatal if read by mortal men. That’s why there are bolts through the corners, to keep it closed. Some experts estimate that it originates with the Dark Ages. Some other scientists have dated it back a thousand years further. Still others, even three thousand further. In all, no one knows exactly where they come from, when they were made, or who made them."
The sisters crowded in on the display, scrutinizing the book and admiring its artwork. Suddenly the book jumped. So did the sisters. The book jumped again and kept jumping at three second intervals. The sisters backed up to the doorway, pulling Leo along to hide behind him.
Piper asked, "Why is it doing that?"
"I don’t know!" said Gail. "I’ve never seen it do that before!"
"Well, you’re the guide! Do something!"
"I’ll go get Derek!"
"Why Derek?"
"He’s the current owner of that book!"
Phoebe muttered, "Why am I not surprized?"
Gail ran out of the room, leaving the others to just stare and wonder at this phenomenon.
Piper whispered, to no one in particular, "What do you think is causing that?"
Leo replied, "It’s alive."
"What?"
"Something is there is alive."
Prue ventured, "You mean like a warlock or demon is trapped in there?"
"I can’t tell."
Piper asked, "Is there a way you can find out?"
"I can open the book and let it out." He took a step forward.
"No!" cried all three sisters together. Piper held him back.
"All right then. Let’s just wait for Derek."
It didn’t take long for Derek to come barging in, bolt past the little group, and go right up to the bouncing exhibit. Gail waited by the museum door. She would come no closer. Derek bent forward, examining it up close, not surprized but deeply interested. "Hmmmm! I wonder what set it off this time."
"This time?" Prue wondered. "It’s done this before? And you knew about it?"
"Yeah. It always does this when it’s hungry."
"Hungry?" Piper exclaimed. "The book gets hungry?"
Derek turned to them with a menacing smile and harshly whispered, "Yes. It eats people. And it gets very restless when it’s hungry."
Then he turned back to the jumpy book. With a screwdriver from his shoulderbag, he began detaching the case from its stand.
Phoebe asked, "What are you doing with it?"
"I don’t think it was a good idea to put it on exhibit. I’ll get it out of here."
"Were you serious about it eating people?"
"Partly. No one really knows. That is no one who’s still around." Derek slapped the case a few times. "All right! All right! All right!" The book stopped jumping. He continued, "Anyone who opened the book vanished; never seen again. That’s why the book is bolted shut."
He finally got the casing off of the stand and tucked it under his arm.
Phoebe wondered, "Where will you take it now?"
"Back to Dunwich."
Prue was shocked. "Dunwich?!"
"Yup. That gives me an idea. I’ll bring back a copy of the Necronomicon to exhibit instead of this."
"Necronomicon?"
Derek gazed around the room. "There seems to be an echo in here."
Prue felt embarressed. "Uh ... Well, ... It’s just that they sound familiar to me."
Suddenly the book started jumping again. Derek tapped the case insistently with his screwdriver and it stopped.
Phoebe asked, "When will you be leaving for Dunwich?"
Tomorrow. It’s on my way to Hungary. I’ve been invited to an archeological dig in Stregoicavar."
Again Prue was aghast. "Stregoicavar?"
And again Derek looked around the room. "There goes that echo again."
Walking down the hall, Phoebe murmured to Prue, "What was that all about?
"Dunwich, the Necronomicon, and Stregoicavar, all have something to do with knowledge and powers of evil. Those who learn their secrets and practice their arts become corrupt. Did you see how he controlled that book? Just keep testing him."
This surprized Phoebe. "You want me to continue testing him?"
"You’ve been testing him?" asked Leo. "Testing him for what?"
"To see if he’s a warlock. But he had an injury and I saw him bleed. And we know warlocks don’t bleed. Then I tested him to see if he’s a witch, but all tests came up empty."
"Well, there are some warlocks who can cast the illusion of bleeding and thus get around the warlock test."
This news jolted the sisters. Phoebe threw up her hands and slapped her thighs. "I’m back to square one!"
The sisters and Leo rejoined the rest of the people and mingled. When Piper thought none of sisters would notice, she slipped away. She went down the west hall, past the kitchen, and began looking in each room. She found the one filled with playing children. She stood at the door, without coming in, looking around. She soon spotted the Teddy bear in the embrace of a five year old girl, dressed in bright red overall. The little girl noticed Piper looking at her and gave a smile. Piper returned her smile, seeing that her former tormentor is now at rest. Then she notice her sisters standing on both sides of her.
Prue remarked, "So this is the problem you couldn’t tell us about."
"Well, what would you have done if I told you I was being stalked by a Teddy bear?"
Prue leaned her chin on Piper’s shoulder. "We would have stood by you. We would have looked up the problem in the Book of Shadows. We would have supported all the way until the problem was solved."
Phoebe leaned her chin on her other shoulder. "Then afterwards we would have made jokes and laughed at you."
"Phoebe!" Prue rebuffed.
Piper just smiled and nodded.
Later in the evening, Phoebe was making her way through the crowded banquet hall, where people picked over the many trays of finger foods. Across the room, she saw Derek anxiously waving her over to him. She made her way through the wall-to-wall people, wondering what he wanted to tell her. She finally emerged into the kitchen.
Derek told her, "There’s someone here to see you."
Phoebe wondered as Derek went to the back door and opened it. In rolled Brenda in an electric wheelchair. Of all the surprizes Phoebe had that day, this was the most delightful.
"Brenda! You made it!"
"I told you I would!"
They excitedly embraced. Phoebe pushed her wheelchair around, introducing her to everyone she knows. She watched over her throughout the party, making sure she got everything she wanted.
In the ballroom, a designated DJ played records, to which many danced. Greg asked Phoebe to dance but she didn’t want to leave Brenda alone. But Brenda egged her on. "Oh, go ahead! Dance with all the pretty boys for me!"
The DJ played songs like Black Magic Woman, Do You Believe in Magic?, Witchey Woman, and many others with related themes. Phoebe danced with as many different men as she could. She ended up slow dancing with Derek to Witchcraft by Frank Sinatra. Prue and Piper stood on the side, giggling at it implications.
Witchcraft!
Wicked witchcraft!
And I know it’s strictly tabooooooooooo.
There’s no nicer witch than you.
Piper murmured, "Oh, I could tell you a few stories."
Irene overheard her, acted shocked, and gave her a playful push. "Oh, Piper! You’re wicked!"
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[Next episode: A deadly puzzle.]
